Ex-Serie A striker HernanCrespo has hailed the coaching skills of former teammate Diego Simeone.

The Argentine attended Atletico Madrid’s training session on Wednesday and gave a glowing report of Simeone’s skills.

“He has had a coaching soul, he’s an extraordinary person,” commented the 37-year-old former Parma, Lazio, Milan and Inter man.

“For me it was a pleasure to see the team training. They work with the obligation of doing things right, with a lot of intensity and a lot of play. They work intensively, but they also have fun.

“Simeone to lead Argentina one day? I have an idea, perhaps wrongly, but I think that when you are a Coach you have to build up the experience, at a young age and with momentum, you want to work every day and need contact with players to improve.

“I think that when you pass 50, that is the time to get into the national team. That is my way of thinking, but for Simeone, if it is his dream, or his desire…but if there is a need to live actively and day by day then in this the national team falls short.”

Crespo, who will today visit Real Madrid, is working on becoming a tactician in his own right.

“I know that as a player I did not get the opportunity to play in Spain, but when I dream of coaching, I always dream of the elite in world football and that means Spain, Italy or England. That is what I aspire to.”

Simeone, who was a teammate of Crespo at Lazio, has been suggested as a possible future boss of Inter.